Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-06-17
a HOPELESS ENTERPRIsE.
rue Panama Canal Doomed 60
Early Abandonment.
Now YORK Timca. /


NJ. BolrsupC French engineer who re-
eeht'y came from pansma 20 r,cuperatc his
hoaith, talked IN English aud his native
idntu age ar0ut De Lcsscp.'S great canai
'thtmr last evening before the Amc.
neal society OF Ciyil Englu(crs. he is
&, upacf, why little man, with close cropped
Iiaoh hair and complexion tanocd
10 CClVcr"Olor. and wears gold
'pociaclt>. y hat cooked hike pla,ter-ciSt.
lut hich IN reality was unique moici Of
Tie l,timus with the line Of the clnal
marked IN lWc-ihe gift OF de- Lc,>cp, to
'te society Was conspicuous on m easel
nd We used by The guest Of the evening
for illustration. VI. BoulangG has been
itree years attached T. The canal onAi-
wCr,' corp, from France, and therefore
hucw W lat hc was talking about.
"1hc construction of the canal" he
said, "h1S been very difficult work, add
he competition will be- much more difficult.
| have crave DOUBTS that il can be finished,
end. ii 70 j., the cost will De three or four
times what las already been expended.
1 lie New York steam drill j. being used by
some OF The contractors, but with such little
success 1T certain pOiuts thstOniy about five
blast holes are made an hour. The climate
j. very discouragipg, and none Of the
engineers who had plans for necessary dams
could icHsin long enough on the ground
10 finish then. | was Obliged 10 return TO
France myself, and when / got home the
i>ihmus-iNer Uro>trAtod ne for three
months C0U>pcUtNCly.
even at this late day there is not first
class m2p or profile OF The canal. Neither
are there any official data Of practical value
to the surviving engineers
For those and other reasons VI. BOulangG
thought The gigantic undertaking would
eventually be abandoned. Speaking Of
what had been done and the cost, nc said :
" Not more ihJu one fifth Of the work has
been done, or about 30. 100000 cubic metres
cut Of 100000 cubic metres have been
eXcaystcd. II has cost $4,000, 900 frances,
equal 10 about S200,00O,O00. Nothing has
been done IN Colon hsrbor. bUt about six
teen mics Of the canal route inland from
tie haIlor has been opened up.
II is true, rs reported, that a
dicdcc did not shift IT. position
for six weeks, having all II could
DO cnummg ont The Siding clay. The
great cut. which j. 70 be 81 : feet in depth.
las been dug ont about thirly.cight feet.
The original survey made by Lieutenant
" Use is az little vauc. There i, very little
sand in the soil, bur plenty of clay aud
more solid rock. A considerable portion
II The route j. through sWamps aud has not
been surveyed. Owing 10 tho peculiar
formation Of the rock in the big cut the
blasting will have to be more extensive than
was 1t first calculated.
Great difficulty has been experienced in
getting labOiers owing 10 the unhealthy
climate ! was four months getting six
men. We have sent 10 TTinidld, Hong
Kong. and other remote places with varied
success. We got about eight hundred Chi.
nose. and they brought their own cooks and
physician, for sanitary reasons. sixty per
cont Of the common laborers die each wear.
Eighty per cent. Of the whites perish. Last
Year or society sent scvcI%y-twO cngi-
nceT-. agents, clerks. &C., TO Panama, and
there aIr eleven Of Is left III for work.
Forty.uIt died, and the remainder are a,
good IS dead. II is a fact that there Is a
Siding mountain on the line Of work which
j. and promise, t. cause no end OF trouble.
scotch dr,der, only are in use. We got
100 coolic, to 20 20 WORK after mUch time
and money. sud they stand the climate and
labor better ihsu any other class.
1--WE have fund, enough on ha1dto con-
rnuc the WORK about four months. After
the monty i, exhausted think dc Le>Seps
Will be- forced 10 abandon the enterprise
for good, or for some years at least. The
scarcity Of money, Impracticability N the
present route. and unexpected obstacles
are reason, sufficient.
..t rains about nine month, OF the year
on the i.thmu>. day and night. The three
dry months are not entirely free OF rain
either. TIE result j., that there are fire.
qucut Fl, ,hc,, along the line, and PORTIONS
Of the work have uld o. be rebuilt repeat.
cdly. Al one point, in January, 1883, the
water rose twenty-one feet in six hours,
and not only destroyed our rairo1d bridge,
but ether valuable ,UpcrNtrUctWc,.'
NJ. Boulapac was rendered vote OF
thanks d. Tie society.